Fox Tech High School will end its football program at the conclusion of the season as part of a transition to a magnet school, and thus, Saturday's Chili Bowl will be the 67th and last football game between Fox Tech and Lanier.

San Antonio Independent School District superintendent Robert Duron met with SAISD athletic director Gil Garza and Fox Tech football coach Denny Peel for more than 2 1/2 hours Tuesday before making the decision.

Fox Tech is on track to become a “special purpose” school with magnet programs for law and health careers.

As the district started proposing changes, numbers for the Fox Tech football program dropped dramatically. The program is down to 82 players currently, down from 109 last season.

“Because of the declining number of students we see in our freshman and sophomore classes, we didn’t want to risk the injury of these students in a collision sport like football, especially two years from now,” Duron said.

“It’s sad for us, it’s sad for SAISD, but you have to understand that change is needed,” Fox Tech head football coach Denny Peel said. “I’m glad we’re doing this now. We had to make a decision before the Chili Bowl.”

The Chili Bowl, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Alamo Stadium, will be Fox Tech's final regular-season game. Fox Tech leads the city's longest-running rivalry 41-20-5.

“It’s a very difficult decision,” Duron said. “It’s a part of our history, but it’s also part of the change process.”

Saturday's game also could decide a District 28-4A playoff spot. Fox Tech (3-6, 3-3 28-4A) could clinch a berth with a victory and an Edison loss against Jefferson on Friday. If Lanier (3-6, 3-3) wins and Kennedy loses to Memorial on Friday, the Voks are in the playoffs.